Kalinaw News: Joint Operations kill 7 ASG Kidnappers at Sulu Sea

Posted to Kalinaw News (Nov 3, 2020): Joint Operations kill 7 ASG Kidnappers at Sulu Sea



Camp Bautista, Jolo, Sulu – Months of monitoring efforts paid off as joint forces of Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Navy (PN) and Philippine Army (PA)’s Rangers and Special Forces, and the PNP maritime group successfully neutralized seven (7) ASG kidnappers on board a boat in Parang, Sulu at around 2:15AM today, November 3, 2020,

Members of Joint Task Force (JTF) – Sulu have long been monitoring the activities of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members under Mundi Sawadjaan and Radulan Sahiron, who are set to execute a Kidnap for Ransom (KFR) plan in an undisclosed province in northern Mindanao. The joint military forces, led by JTF-Sulu Operations Officer and Medal of Valor awardee Ltc Herbert D Dilag, successfully thwarted the kidnapping plan of the Daesh-inspired terrorists group as the latter were sighted moving near Sulare Island in Parang, Sulu in preparation for their KFR activity.

According to Ltc Dilag, members of the Air Force’s Augusta Attack Helicopter (AW109), who are also closely monitoring the ASG’s’s movement, decided to fire upon the ASG’s boat direction with a .50 caliber machine gun. As this happens, the Navy’s assault watercraft, carrying the Special Forces Diver Team, Scout Ranger Sniper Team, the PNP-Maritime Group, and JTF-Sulu Command Group, rushed towards ASG-KFRG’S boat and launched a series of strafing. The firefight lasted for several minutes, which resulted to the neutralization of seven ASG kidnappers. Significantly, it is believed that the ASG-KFRG on board the sank boat were Madsmar Sawadjaan (brother of infamous bomber Mundi Sawadjaan), Mannul Sawadjaan @Abu Amara (declared to replace deceased ASG senior leader Hajan Sawadjaan as emir), and five (5) others yet to be identified.

“It was like in an action movie. Our Augusta and MPAC fired at them. They retaliated using some high powered firearm so a 30-minute firefight ensued. When they tried to escaped our MPAC rushed towards them a high speed boat chase took place. And finally we rammed the speed boat as it is firing grenade launchers towards us,” Ltc Dilag said.

For his part, 11th Infantry Division and JTF-Sulu Commander MGen William N Gonzales said the ASG is scrambling to finance their atrocities that they launched the KFR amidst the rainy weather. “They ran out of luck as all our forces in Sulu collaborated to neutralize them. And we are not stopping, troops are still at the area and retrieval operations are still ongoing” he added

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